Entrepreneurship Summit

Washington and Lee University’s Third Annual Entrepreneurship Summit is scheduled for September 26-27, 2014, an event that attracted nearly 70 alumni and over 200 students last year. The Entrepreneurship Summit provides the opportunity for alumni, students, and faculty in W&L’s entrepreneurial community to exchange ideas, share knowledge, and establish valuable connections for present and future endeavors. Alumni participants have included experienced and new entrepreneurs involved in a wide range of industries, venture capitalists and angel investors, and individuals currently engaged or considering engaging in providing services (i.e., legal, consulting, accounting, insurance, etc.) for entrepreneurs. Student participants in 2013 represented 29 different majors from across the campus. There is no better place or opportunity to engage with W&L’s entrepreneurial community than the Entrepreneurship Summit.

The Entrepreneurship Summit is designed with one overarching goal in mind: to offer alumni and students with valuable learning, sharing, and networking opportunities from start to finish. Join us this year and see for yourself why we hear the same comment echoed over and over again, “The Summit is an event that entrepreneurs shouldn’t miss”.

Updates for the event will be posted here, on the Williams School website, and on our LinkedIn group page (join the group: Washington and Lee University Entrepreneurs). Registration is free and will be available online starting in June. We look forward to seeing you in September.

The Entrepreneurship Summit will be open to all W&L alumni, students, faculty, and parents. Below is a brief description of each group and their involvement in the Summit.

Alumni

All alumni will participate in the various networking and panel discussions. Alumni who identify themselves as having entrepreneurial experience are welcome to join us for sessions as panelists, presenters, or engaged attendees on both Friday and Saturday. Alumni who identify themselves as new to entrepreneurship have the opportunity to apply to be one of the companies featured in the Alumni Pitch session and are encouraged to participate in all of our educationally oriented sessions.

Alumni registration is now open. Please spread the word. We would like to accommodate all alumni and students, but for some of the activities space will be limited to first come, first served (registrations are timestamped). Help us with our planning and logistics by clicking here to register.

Students

Student members of the Venture Club will be involved in planning, organizing, and managing the Entrepreneurship Summit and will attend all events. Non-­‐Venture Club students from the Williams School, the College, and the Law School will be invited to attend in all panel and mentoring sessions.

Student registration is now open. Please spread the word. We would like to accommodate all alumni and students, but for some of the activities space will be limited to first come, first served (registrations are timestamped). Help us with our planning and logistics by clicking here to register.

Day one focuses provides educational opportunities for alumni and students. Alumni are invited and encouraged to participate in various panels, discussions, etc. throughout the day. Students will be attending sessions throughout the day. Educational sessions for alumni and students on Friday include:

Leveraging Social Media
Non-traditional Sources of Capital
Attracting, Hiring, and Managing an “A” Team
Startup and Intellectual Property Law
Raising Capital and Managing Investor Relations

Sessions will be followed by an Alumni Entrepreneur Reception and Networking event from 5:30pm – 7:00pm in the Reeves Center.

Saturday September 27, 2014 (8am – 10pm)

The second day of The Summit provides additional educational sessions, networking events, alumni and student entrepreneurship showcase events, and much more. Saturday includes the following opportunities: